Harry Potter and the Powers of Old
by mickyyy-d
Summary: post Ootp the trio stumble across a power that could rid the world of evil...only problem is that voldemort knows about it aswell
1. 1 sweet sixteen

Harry Potter and the Powers of Old  
  
Chapter 1: Sweet sixteen  
  
It was an evening like any other in Little Whinging: the sun was slowly setting behind the clouds leaving the sky in the distance a beautiful blend of oranges and reds. The kids in the town could be heard laughing and playing, enjoying the last of the daylight before retiring for dinner with their families. To any passer-by it would seem like the perfect ending to the perfect day in a town that seems little too normal.  
  
The grass in every lawn was well kept and neat, there was no litter strewn around; not one thing looked or sounded out of place in the posh, secluded suburban town. However if you happened to look up to the top, side window as you passed number four Privet Drive, then you would notice a young man in his mid teens with his head pressed against the window, sporting a lightning shaped scar just off the centre of his forehead, with a rather small excited looking owl trying to get his attention from the ledge outside. His large, round, emerald eyes seemed to be full of pain and anguish.  
  
It wasn't until he heard the rustle of many wings rapidly approaching that Harry was distracted from his brooding, and gave a weary eye at the black cloud making its way towards his bedroom window. He then decided to acknowledge the presence of Pig, Ron's small owl, that had been tapping at his window nonstop for the past 15 minutes. Sighing, he slid the widow up, causing Pig to fall through and get tangled up in the net curtain that Aunt Petunia insisted be put up due to Harry's 'funny business,' as she liked to call it. Leaning over, he scooped up the little owl, cupped it in both hands,and set it down on his desk, quickly making room for the other six owls that were tumbling through his already open window. Naturally curious, having never really received so much mail, Harry left Pig sipping some of Hedwig's water and begun relieving the other owls of their burdens.  
  
It wasn't until he sighted the colourful wrapping of one of his parcels that he remembered that it was his birthday. Not surprisingly though, as it was the late Sirius Black, wrongly convicted, escaped, mass murderer and loving godfather that had been taking up most of his thoughts this summer. Harry just kept replaying in slow-motion that final moment when Sirius fell, disappearing behind that mysterious veil out of sight and out of Harry's life...forever.  
  
Anybody closely watching Harry that night could almost tell the exact moment that his heart broke. You see, Sirius, although he was Harry's godfather, only met him during his third year, after he made a legendary escape from Azkaban, the wizarding prison, guarded by the soul sucking dementors. Risking everything to be with Harry and keep him safe, Sirius fought gallantly in the Department of Mysteries after Harry so foolishly got tricked by the devil himself into leaving the safety of Hogwarts in the middle of the night.  
  
"NO!" Harry said loudly to himself shaking his head scaring off the owls that were watching him intently from his desk. 'I've been here before' he thought 'I can't keep blaming myself for this, Remus and Hermione have told me that already'.  
  
Getting up, he removed the letter tied to Pig's leg and let him take flight once more. Shutting the window, he turned towards his desk, letting a small grin grace his face. 'Well,' he thought, seeing the stack of parcels he had just received, 'I'm sixteen.' He carried the pile over to his bed, sat down, and chose to open Ron's letter first, before attacking his presents.  
  
Hey, Happy Birthday Harry!  
How's it goin? Sweet sixteen eh? I hope you're well and you ain't letting Snuffles get you down. He wouldn't want you to be acting all moody on his account, now would he mate?  
Anyway I've been strongly advised (threatened, more like) by everyone down at HQ not to inform you of what they've got in store for you, but...knowing how much you love surprises, I'm risking my neck sending this to you while everyone is downstairs. I hope it gets there in time! Just letting you know that they're planning a heck of a party for you. I think it's next week, and it seems like all of Gryffindor is invited! How cool is that?!!! You should see the place! It's looking GREAT. You'll see it soon anyway.  
Keep Pig as long as you want; I've told Hermione he's out hunting (she wanted to write to Vicky, the nerve of that girl!). Anyway, have fun, and I'll see you at the party.  
Curse those muggles for me Your best mate,  
Ron P.S. Dumbledore's got a surprise for you; it should arrive soon.  
  
Harry smiled at Ron's letter. Although he wasn't really the party type, he'd never had a proper birthday party before and felt he was long overdue for a bit of cheering up. Putting the letter aside, he eagerly pulled forward one of his presents. Choosing the largest one first, he unwrapped it to find gifts from all the Weaslys. An assorted box of sweats from Ron; a wand holster from Ginny. From Mr. Weasly, some fancy looking quills, and ink that was charmed to randomly change colour as you wrote. From Mrs. Weasly he received some miniature minced pies, a birthday cake with emerald icing, and a note telling him how much he was missed.  
  
Nibbling on the corner of one of the minced pies, he pulled forward the rest of his presents and began unwrapping them eagerly. Hermione (who had been on holiday in Egypt) got him a matching chain and ring. The chain was gold and seemed to get warm and glow when it touched his skin, and the ring was also gold, but it was in the shape of a griffin with wings spread, wrapping itself around his finger with ruby in its mouth. Putting them on, he skimmed over Hermione's note,  
  
Hey Harry! Happy Birthday.  
By the time you get this, I should be at HQ with Ron and the others, but I'm sending this from Egypt. It's great over here. It's got such a magical background! I found out soooo much! Did you know the Egyptians were the first known animagi?  
Anyway to the point; your present! I bought it off of a traveller I met. I've read all about them and I just had to buy it. They are 'the jewels of Gryffindor' and if you wear them they will protect you against minor spells and even accelerate you healing for the spells it can't stop; supposedly all of the founders had them but hid them when they suspected Salazar Slytherin was thought to have betrayed them. They say that if all four sets of jewels are bought together by four strong enough to harness their power, the group will receive unimaginable power that will keep growing until one amongst the group gets corrupted by their power.  
Of course nobody believes that anymore, but it's still valuable. Anyway, I've got to be going now, so, I'll see you soon, keep your sprits up and let me know when you get your O.W.L results. I know you're not going to want to talk about Sirius, but don't let it get you down. Remember it was NOT your fault, so don't blame your self. If you ever need to talk just let me know, I'm here for you. Love, Hermione XXX  
  
Harry stroked the griffin on his ring after reading Hermione's letter. Could it really of belonged to Godric Gryffindor? If so, then where are the others... Pushing this thought to the back of his mind, he continued to open the rest of his presents.  
  
From Hagrid, he got a book called '101 Completely Harmless Beasts.' Harry smiled at the title, 'Just like Hagrid,' he thought. He got a mirror that was charmed to rebound spells, to practice on as a thank you present from all of the DA. Thumbing over the frame work, Harry smiled as he saw the inscription 'Harry Potter-World's Greatest Teacher'. The last present was from the Order; it was the 'Standard Book of Spells, Grade 7.'  
  
The last thing was a letter with the usual Hogwarts crest. Opening it neatly, he removed four sheets of parchment. The first was the usual welcome back letter, the second was the new book list. As Harry got to the third, he paused upon seeing the title.  
  
Results for Harry James Potter, Ordinary. Wizarding. Levels:  
  
We are pleased to inform you that you achieved the highest grade for Defence Against the Dark Arts that has ever been recorded. Please see Professor M. McGonagall for details of what lessons you should continue to take at N.E.W.T level. Below are your results.  
  
Transfiguration – E  
  
Care of magical creatures – E Defence against the dark arts - O Potions – O Charms - E Astronomy - A History of magic - D Divination - A  
  
'Wow! An 'O' in Potions and the highest DADA mark ever! Hermione's just going to have to wait till I see her to hear about this' he thought 'She'll do her nut trying to guess what I got'  
  
Harry was just about to put the letters away in his drawer when he noticed the fourth sheet of parchment that must have fallen to off of his bed. Eyeing the neat writing that he recognized as that of Professor Dumbledore, he begun to read.  
  
Dear Harry  
Firstly, I would like to wish you a happy birthday. I would send your present, but let's just say I don't think your aunt and uncle would approve. You're just going to have to wait and see.  
I trust that you now understand why you must return to the muggles each year, even if only for a couple of weeks, but rest assured you should be joining us fairly soon.  
I know you don't have a subscription to the Daily Prophet, so you will not have heard this next bit of news. Cornelius Fudge is desperately trying to hold onto his position as Minister of Magic, and trying to win back public favour after his blunder involving Voldemort's return. Also, I thought you should know that the law on underage wizards performing magic outside of school has been lifted, so feel free to try out any new spells, but remember you must still be discrete.  
Once more, I wish you a happy birthday with many happy returns. I WILL see you soon. Yours, Albus Dumbledore P.S. Get packed, we may come for you at any moment.  
  
Re-reading the letter to make sure his eyes didn't deceive him, he smiled and gingerly picked up his wand, quietly saying the incantation "Accio." He watched as his new wand holster shot across the room and right into his outstretched hand. After catching and strapping it onto his wrist for easy access to his wand, he waited for a full five minutes for the sound of a ministry owl, to see if he had been wrong and broken the law.  
  
When no such a owl came, he let out the breath that he didn't know he had been holding. "Well," Harry said to nobody in particular, "time to make up for 16 years of abuse." Packing away his new things, he holstered his wand. Deciding to cause some trouble, he picked up the book the Order had given him. 'Of course,' he thought, 'they knew I would be able to use magic tonight.' With this thought, he put the book under his arm and made his way downstairs to the living room, where the rest of the family had congregated.  
  
"Good evening," Harry said joyfully as he entered the living room, earning himself a raised eyebrow from his Uncle Vernon. Usually, Harry would be sent to his room, but the warning from the Order at the start of the holiday really got through to his aunt, and she had been keeping her husband and son in check.  
  
Making his way over to the unoccupied part of the couch next to his lump of a cousin Dudley, he sat down and made himself comfortable. Using one hand to hold up his book, he begun flipping through pages trying to find an appropriate spell to kick start his evening.  
  
Choosing to begin with a light extinguishing spell he read over the incantation before clearing his throat loudly. "What is it boy? Be quiet or get out!" Uncle Vernon said, scowling at Harry. "Nothing," Harry replied, as if hurt by his uncle's words. "I was just wondering if you minded me practicing a few spells in here, seeing as my room is a bit too small". Dudley almost fainted as Harry flicked his wrist to release his wand from its holster. "Oh no you don't, boy!" Uncle Vernon yelled angrily as Aunt Petunia rushed over to draw the curtains. "You think we don't know! You're not allowed to use ma...mag... the M word outside of that freak school of yours." Harry had to laugh at his uncle's obvious discomfort at being within a few meters of Harry's wand. "I guess you haven't heard then," Harry said, trying hard to keep a straight face as Dudley was paling and his uncle's face was turning crimson. "But as there is a very powerful dark wizard on the lose, they're letting anyone aged sixteen and over use magic at home. And incase you haven't noticed, TODAY is my SIXTEENTH birthday, soooo I'm going to begin practicing."  
  
Silence followed that revelation, and as Harry saw the vain in uncle Vernon's neck pulsate with rage, he decided to head him off by using his first spell. Visualizing his new rebounding mirror in his mind he mumbled the incantation. Within a few seconds, his mirror was in his hand. Flipping through his book to the appropriate page, he found the sticking charm and performed it on the back of the mirror, and, making his way past his uncle, he stuck it on the wall. "You might want to leave the room," Harry said to his uncle, "this could get a bit messy.  
  
"You little....." His uncle started making his way over to Harry, arms outstretched, but all the years of quidditch practice paid off, and Harry was able to easily dodge his uncle's grab. Before his uncle could turn to try again, Harry raised his wand to the small of Uncle Vernon's back. "STUPEFY!" he yelled angrily, knocking his uncle unconscious and watching him slump to the floor. Turning to aunt Petunia, he heard Dudley whimpering behind his unconscious father. "I'm going to be practicing for at least an hour. Feel free to watch, but please stick to the far corner so you don't get in the way," he told her calmly.  
  
Aunt Petunia looked as if she was seriously considering watching her nephew so as to see what he was capable of, but after eyeing her husband's unconscious body and Dudley cowering behind it, she decide against it. "N...n...no its alright," she stammered. "I'll just take them and leave," she said, pointing to Uncle Vernon and Dudley. Dudley got up and fled from the room, while Aunt Petunia seemed rooted on the spot. "That's alright," Harry told her, lightning up a bit. "I'll levitate him out for you." Aunt Petunia nodded and made her way to the door as Harry, instead of using the Mobilicorpus spell, used the Banishing Charm to move his unlce from the living room to the hallway outside, allowing him to hit every piece of furniture on the way out. Using the same spell on the furniture, he made himself a small clearing to practice in.  
  
Using a variety of spells from his new book, he spent about two hours shooting spells at the mirror, using a combination of his quidditch reflexes and shielding charms to dodge most of the rebounded spells. Harry sent a Bat Boogie Hex at the mirror, but it had rebounded faster than Harry anticipated. Bracing himself for impact, he was surprised to feel his new ring get warm and his chain lift from against his chest and glow gold as it absorbed the spell.  
  
'Wow,' Harry thought. He couldn't wait to show that little trick to the others. He allowed rebounded spells to hit him for about ten more minutes to see if there was a spell that could not be blocked. Unwilling to try an Unforgivable Curse, he settled with knowing that most spells that were sent at him by another Hogwarts student could be blocked with ease.  
  
Putting the furniture back to how it was before his 'training session,' he picked up his book and mirror and retreated to his room. Hanging the mirror up above his desk and putting his book in his trunk with all of his other belongings, he flopped down onto his bed and slipped into another nightmare about Sirius and the veil.

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A/N: this is my first fic so let me know how im doing so far, R&R


	2. A decent proposal

Harry Potter and the Powers of Old  
  
Chapter 2: A decent proposal  
  
Harry awoke quite happy and fairly early the next morning despite the nightmares that kept him awake for most of the night. The time on his (Dudley's old) alarm clock was 9:16 which meant that his uncle had already left for work. 'Good' Harry thought. He didn't think he was up to facing him yet, not with all that happened the night before.  
  
Harry made his way to the bathroom to have a quick shower before heading downstairs, no doubt his aunt would be waiting for him to make breakfast. After showering he headed back to his room to get dressed. Choosing a pair of cut off jeans that were too big around the waist and one of Dudley's old t-shirts that was too short and a little too baggy he gave himself a once over in the mirror. 'Pitiful' he thought, 'I gotta get myself some muggle clothes'.  
  
Making his way downstairs and into the kitchen Harry was surprised to find his aunt standing over the frying pan doing what up until today Harry had done every morning since he was nine. Hearing Harry come in she turned and greeted him with as big a smile that she could muster. "I thought I'd do breakfast" she said seeing the shocked look on Harry's face "I checked on you this morning and you looked too peaceful to disturb"  
  
Harry noticed his mouth hanging open and snapped it shut. Taking a seat at the table opposite Dudley he waited for his aunt petunia to finish his breakfast. 'I wonder if she's under the Imperius' Harry thought absentmindedly 'if she is then I think voldemort's finally cracked'  
  
"Here you go Harry" aunt petunia said in the voice she usually reserved for Dudley as she laid a plate in front of him. Harry raised an eyebrow at the amount of food he had in front of him, looking across at Dudley he noticed that he was thinking along the same lines as himself. "Er aunt Petunia... I think you got mine and Dudley's plates mixed up" Harry said not taking his eyes off of his food. "Of course I didn't" she replied offhandedly "Dudder's is on a diet" "Um...okay then" Harry replied choosing not to push the issue too far before she became fully aware of what he thought was an obvious mistake.  
  
Harry suppressed a grin seeing that Dudley had already finished his breakfast and was now eyeing his own. Picking up his fork Harry begun to tuck into his own breakfast of bacon, sausages and eggs.  
  
"NO! Its okay Harry, I'll do the dishes" his aunt said taking Harry's empty plate out of his hand and bringing it over to the sink. "Eh...I'm going out alright mum" Dudley said excusing himself from the table" "Of course dear, don't stay out too late" his aunt replied a little louder so that Dudley who was already at the front door could hear her. Drying her hands on the towel she turned to Harry with a more serious expression on her face. "We need to talk Harry, would you wait in the living room for me" his aunt said not staring at the floor. "Um ok" Harry replied wondering exactly what was going on 'maybe she's going to explain why she's been being so nice to me this morning' he thought to himself.  
  
His aunt appeared at the door 5 minutes later, pausing only for a moment to look Harry up and down, she shook her head and made her way over to him. For the first time in a long while she looked at a loss for words.  
  
After about 30 seconds of aunt petunia playing with her watch Harry decided to speak up, "what did you want to speak to me about" he asked her. "Um... I wanted to apologize for the way we've treated you" she answered quietly, still playing with the strap of her watch.  
  
"Excuse me?" Harry asked believing his ears had deceived him "you want to apologize... to me" "Yes" aunt Petunia said finally plucking up the courage to make eye contact with her nephew, "and if you want I could explain a few things that may help you to understand why we treated you how we did".  
  
Upon hearing this Harry sat back in his chair with his arms folded and waited expectantly. "Well, before I start promise me you won't tell your uncle" aunt petunia said with a look on her face that Harry couldn't decipher. "Um...okay then" Harry replied not really understanding the need for secrecy. His aunt nodded her thanks and finding a spot on the carpet to focus on, she begun to talk.  
  
It was about ten minutes later that Harry got a chance to speak. "You're a...a...squib?" Harry said not entirely believing it. "Yes Harry. I'm sorry for everything for how I treated you over the years but I was jealous, I know there's no excuse for it but please forgive me I'd like to make it up to you."  
  
"How could you be jealous of me?" Harry asked quietly "do you know how messed up my life is? I've been almost killed every year since I was 11, I've got the most powerful dark wizard of all time after me, people die if they get too close to me and to top it off I've jus lost the closest thing I had to a father I've ever known." Harry stopped talking as memories of Sirius and Cedric came flooding back.  
  
"I'm sorry Harry...I had no idea. Its just I got teased so much by my so called friends when I was younger, I wanted nothing more to be a witch like my sister...and you reminded me of that the day I took you in. but I could never be a fraction of what my sister was... I guess I ended up hating the wizarding world, and your uncle kind of helped me with that as well. Please Harry id like to start over could you ever forgive me?"  
  
"I guess" Harry said after a brief silence "but why now, why after so many years" he added watching his aunt's reactions carefully. "Well I guess it's the way you blew up on your uncle yesterday" she said. Harry shuddered, he hadn't yet received any repercussions for his actions, but they were sure to come. Harry looked up at his aunt who was watching him carefully, "what about yesterday triggered this off" Harry asked.  
  
"Well I guess it was the look in your eyes, and that spell 'stu...stu...stupefy'. It reminded me of the day your mum left for that school- ". "Hogwarts" Harry interjected, silently musing on how much he wished he was back there. "Yes, that's the one" aunt Petunia answered her nephew's rhetorical question. "Her friends were teasing me about being a...a squib, Lily got so angry and stunned them all...she was only eleven" aunt Petunia said reminiscing.  
  
"You just looked so much like her yesterday...and your eyes, it's like I was looking at your mother again." Aunt petunia paused to blink back some tears. "Look" she continued "I'm sorry for all you've been through, I know I can't change any of that. But I know that you have to come back here for a few weeks a year, we can try to make those weeks enjoyable cant we?"  
  
Harry was deep in thought, for so long his relatives made him feel worthless, they had told him often enough that they wish he'd never come to them. Yet here was his aunt, the last living link to his mother practically begging him for forgiveness.  
  
It was the tears that Harry could see building up behind aunt Petunia's eyes that finally made him give in. "All right" Harry said slowly watching his aunt's expression change rapidly to one of joy, "we can start over, but there are one or two things that need to change." Harry added quickly, he took a deep breath before continuing.  
  
"I want to be able to freely practice magic in the house, now that I am legal. I want some new clothes, ones that fit me properly not Dudley's hand- me-downs. And I want to be able to leave the house in the mornings; I have a new training regime that I will be following to eh...help me deal with eh... some things going on."  
  
Harry took a deep breath and pushed all thoughts from his mind. Its true, the new training regime was to prepare him for his prophesized battle with Voldemort. His nightmare during the night had been the final straw. He would no longer feel sorry for himself for the loss of Sirius and his parents; he would work hard to ensure that no one he loved would ever be the victim in one of Voldemort's. To begin with however he would have to get in shape, hence the morning training.  
  
Harry looked up to find his aunt staring at him with a worried look on her face. Feeling a bit un-nerved Harry decided to get the discussion back on track. "So eh...have you thought about those changes?" Harry asked avoiding eye contact. "Oh yes" his aunt started, her expression now one of thoughtful thinking, "well about practicing m...magic, you can as long as your uncle is out. I was going to suggest the clothes as well, so yeah we can buy you some new ones."  
  
"What about my morning training?" Harry asked getting excited. "Well..." his aunt petunia said biting her lip. "I guess I would allow it, as long as you could help Dudley get in shape too".  
  
Harry looked at her as if she was crazy; "Dudley...in shape" he stammered "are you sure" he finished lamely. "Look Harry" his aunt said looking at him, "I have spoken to Dudley, and he is all for making a new start with you. All I ask is that you two have patience with each other"  
  
"Well...okay, but only until I leave" Harry gave in earning himself a wide smile from aunt Petunia. With that Harry got up and left for his room. 'This holiday is going to be very interesting' he thought to himself, 'very interesting indeed'.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------- A/N: okay everybody, sorry about the wait I had a million and one things doing, and still do so your gonna have to wait until next week for more regular updates.  
  
Just so ppl don't get confused in upcoming chapters, it is Monday, Harry's party, if everything goes to my plan should be on the Tuesday of the following week.  
  
Thanks for reading... As always R&R, its always god to hear your views. 


	3. fancy meeting you here

Harry potter and the Powers of Old

A/N: sorry for the wait but its better late than never..._right_

Anyway, reviews are always appreciated and I'm feeling generous so...I I'm gonna try get the next chapter up by the middle of next week

Chapter 3: Fancy meeting you here 

Hours later 

"HURRY UP BOY!" Aunt Petunia screeched. "WE NEED TO GET BACK IN TIME TO MAKE DINNER!" she added for good measure. Harry smirked to himself as he pulled on his jacket and smoothed out his fringe as to hide his scar. It was funny how much his aunt's tone had changed from the morning when they were alone and she was begging him to make amends. Now that uncle Vernon was home from work, Harry was again being treated, and spoken to, like filth.

Giving himself a once over in the mirror, Harry headed out of his room and down the stairs to where his aunt was waiting at the door tapping her watch. "Okay, let's hurry before all the clothes shops shut," Aunt Petunia whispered, so that only she and Harry could hear that her tone of voice was bordering on polite. She shouted her goodbyes and ushered Harry into the car.

They were driving for about 20 minutes before they found a parking space on a crowded road in town. After paying the parking meter and mumbling angrily about the unfair rates, Aunt petunia led Harry into a shopping centre with various shops inside. Navigating her way around expertly, Aunt petunia soon had Harry standing outside a promising looking teen clothing store. "We'll have to hurry," she said, "They shut in an hour." With that they walked into the shop, Aunt petunia in the lead, and began searching various racks and shelves for clothes in Harry's size.

After about thirty minutes of Aunt Petunia rapidly handing Harry different clothes to try on, Harry seriously questioned her sanity as bundles of clothes were shoved under the curtain in the changing cubicle. They finally made their way to the check out, Harry wearing a new pair of jeans, a loose black t-shirt and one of his new pairs of trainers that his aunt insisted they buy.

Harry was waiting by the exit while his aunt queued up to buy his clothes when he saw a girl with her back to him a few feet away. She was wearing tight fitting jeans that enhanced her shapely hips, and a tight white top. She had long slightly bushy brown hair and appeared to be talking animatedly on a mobile phone.

Harry didn't know how long he was watching her because before long he noticed her walking in his general direction, probably to check out the clothing rack behind him. 'Wait!' Harry thought the girls face, her sharp but innocent brown eyes, 'I know that face, its...its...' "Her...Hermione!" Harry blurted out. She turned her head sharply to the left to see who had called her. When she saw Harry she smiled widely and jogged the distance between them and engulfed him in a bear hug to rival Mrs. Weasly's.

Harry seemed to have forgotten how to talk, and he was painfully aware of their close proximity as Hermione's chest was pressed against his. He pulled her closer and held her tighter until he felt a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. They released each other from their holds and took a step back. Harry looked down as he felt himself blushing. "Wha...what are you doing here?" he stuttered, trying to regain his composure. "I was visiting my grandmother this morning, my dad's across there, in the electronics shop," she said pointing to a store behind him. "I'm going back to eh...headquarters today though," she added after a moment.

Overcoming his temporary discomfort, Harry proceeded to tell Hermione of his summer and how he came to be in town that evening. 'Where'd she hide all that' Harry thought to himself as he caught himself once again checking out her chest. "Harry?" Hermione said in a questioning tone, snapping his head up and running a hand through his hair nervously he looked up trying to meet her gaze but noticed that Hermione's attention too seemed to be on his body rather than conversation. "Damn...you're not nearly so scrawny anymore," Hermione said in a dreamy voice that reminded Harry of Luna Lovegood.

"What?" Harry exclaimed pretending to be hurt, "I was never scrawny." "Yeahhh, whatever you say," Hermione replied sarcastically. "It doesn't matter, you're looking good now anyway," she said quickly, trying to sound casual. Harry tried to hide a smile. 'She thinks I look good,' he thought. 'Argh! What am I thinking? This is Hermione here.' "Anyway, I've got to go, my dad must be waiting for me," she said, looking at the floor. She made to step past Harry but paused and looked up at Harry in deep thought; she put her arms around his neck and planted a quick kiss on his lips before hurrying out of the shop.

Harry was in shock. He rubbed two fingers over his lips and then looked at them as if they were from another planet. 'Did my best friend jus kiss me?' he thought. Harry turned to see Hermione walking away with another man that he assumed was her father. He watched until he could no longer see her, then he turned back to see his aunt approaching him. "Come on. Let's go now shall we?" she said, leading him out of the shop. Glancing one more time in the direction that Hermione had walked off in, he let his aunt lead him from the centre out to the car.

The ride back to Privet Drive was uneventful. Harry was half-heartedly taking part in a conversation with his aunt, and spent the majority of the time looking out of the window at the various houses and shops that they passed. Upon arriving, Harry went straight up to his room to put away his many purchases. Once they were out of the way, Harry flopped down onto his bed and closed his eyes, trying to collect his thoughts.

He could still feel the tingling feeling on his lips from where Hermione's had briefly touched. He desperately needed to talk to her, but he did not want to put theirs and Ron's relationship in jeopardy. About an hour later he had made a decision: He would owl Hermione and ask her if she would like to try taking their relationship further than just friends. Harry smiled at the thought of it. He would propose they keep it secret until they were completely sure, as not to hurt Ron, whom Harry suspected also had feelings for Hermione.

Sitting up, Harry made his way over to his desk to begin writing. With a quill in hand, Harry absentmindedly drummed his fingers on his desk while trying to think of the best way to word his letter.

About ten minutes and five crumpled up sheets of parchment later, Harry was at a loss for what to write. Running his fingers through his hair, which had become a habit lately, Harry dipped his quill in his ink bottle for another attempt. Before he could begin writing however, Hedwig begun to shrill. "What is it...what's wrong" Harry said trying to calm down his owl before his uncle came upstairs.

Hedwig finally calmed down enough for Harry to decipher what was wrong. There, sitting at Harry's open window, was another owl. The owl had the same snowy white feathers and piercing yellow eyes as Hedwig. It was roughly the same size but was however, very noticeably, much more feminine. Snapping out of his shock, Harry noticed that the unknown owl had a letter tied to its leg. "STAY there," Harry said to the owl, suspicion increasing. He edged over to the window and quickly untied the letter and jumped back, ready for an attack.

When no such attack came, Harry glanced at the owl, which seemed to be amused at Harry's discomfort. Relaxing, Harry let his curiosity take over, and sat down to open his letter. His heart leapt as he recognized the handwriting as Hermione's. 'Looks like she got there first,' Harry thought, before he began to read.

_Hey Harry,_

_It's Hermione. I'm using Tonks' owl (December) to send you this because Ron is being insufferable and is not letting me use Pig. How's the present I got you? Do you like it? I never got the chance to ask you earlier; I think we both had, err...other thing on our minds._

_Anyway, while we're on the subject, what did happen this afternoon? I could tell you were "checking me out," as Parvati would say; don't worry though, I'm not upset. Actually I'm not sure if you noticed, but I was kinda looking at you too._

_I wanted to know if it was just because I was wearing, um...not Hogwarts robes, or did you feel anything more? What I'm trying to say Harry, is that we are best friends, and I wouldn't want to do anything that would ruin that, but at the same time I want to be more than just your friend. I have for, a while now. I noticed just before the Umbridge episode. _

_I realize that you may have a lot to think about now, and I respect that. In fact I would of waited until you came here to speak to you in person, but I thought that you would like to know how I felt before hand. I don't want you to feel like we have to give it a go, if you don't then just ignore this letter up till now. _

_By the way, there's one more thing I thought you would like to know. I saw Professor Dumbledore today, and I can't believe the present he got you!!! I'm not sure if it's completely legal!! Anyway, he came to let us know that you are coming back today, after an Order meeting and just before dinner. _

_Get ready to leave quickly because I'm not sure how you're getting here._

_That's all for now Harry. No need to write back._

_With love from your best friend (maybe more),_

_Hermione._

Harry was grinning excitedly after reading Hermione's letter. He felt like he could scream with delight; Hermione basically said she wanted to be his _girlfriend_ (Harry's smile grew wider at the thought) and to top it off, he was returning to Grimmauld place... today! Harry looked across the room at his alarm clock, seeing that it read 6:30. Dinner was in half an hour. He would be leaving very soon.

Harry pulled his trunk out from under his bed and began some extremely hurried packing. After ten minutes of frantic running around, locating various books, and making sure to pack his new clothes, Harry was finally finished. His room looked bare, with only his bed, dresser and wardrobe. His trunk was on top of his bed alongside Hedwig's cage (Harry had sent Hedwig to wait at Grimmauld).

Harry stopped what he was doing and fell silent as he heard the floorboards creak outside of his door. "Who's there?" he asked as he expertly flicked his wrist, allowing his wand to fall from its inconspicuous hiding place. After a brief pause, his door swung open and his aunt strolled in slowly, shutting the door behind her.

"Um...dinner's going to be ready in a bit Harry. Do you want to come down or should I send it up?" Aunt petunia asked timidly. The look on her face made Harry realize with a pang how much effort she was making.

"I um... I won't be able to make it to dinner," Harry said, meeting his aunt's gaze. Seeing the questioning look on his aunt's face, he continued. "I just got a letter," he said. "My err...friends are picking me up, and I'm staying the rest of the summer with them," he finished, trying gauge his aunt's reaction.

"Oh..." she said lamely. "Well...I'll see you next summer then I suppose," she added, although she looked as if she had wanted to say more. As if on cue, there was a very audible pop, followed by a shriek from Dudley. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE!" Harry heard his uncle roar.

Harry turned back to aunt Petunia, "I'd better be going," he said, picking up his trunk and Hedwig's cage (which he had placed a feather light charm on). As he reached the door, his aunt placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll miss you...Harry," she said, close to tears, and gave him a brief hug before exiting the room past him. Harry stood stunned for a moment while his aunt made her way down the stairs. "Wow." Harry said to himself, "Today's been full of surprises." With that, he began to make his own way downstairs, so that he could once again be taken _home._


	4. New friends, New relationships

Harry potter and the Powers of Old

Chapter 4: New pets, New relationships 

With a THUMP! Harry landed hard on the dinning room floor of Grimmauld Place. Strong hands reached out to steady Harry before just he fell. After waiting a moment for the room to stop spinning, Harry looked up into the eyes of Remus Lupin, the last Marauder and Harry's last real link to his parents. "Did you have to land on top the TV?" Harry said grinning, at the thought of his recent escape from Privet Drive. "Now that, Harry," Remus said with a glint in his eye "was Tonks' idea," he added pointing at his feet.

Harry tried hard to suppress his laughter. Tonks lay in a heap on the floor; she was laughing hard and looked as if she was about to be sick. "Remind me never to do that again," Tonks said, trying to stand up, sending Harry and Remus into hysterics again. "Your own fault Tonks," Harry said as Remus snorted, "I'm no expert, but I'm not sure humans are supposed to be made Portkeys." They all collapsed in laughter. "Well, we had no time, and it was better that than your uncle beating me to a pulp," Tonks said, shrugging her shoulders.

The three of them sat down to catch their breath as the dinning room door flew opened. "Oh Harry!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed as she engulfed him in a tight hug. "Ok mum...he can't breathe," Ron, the youngest Weasley son, said as he entered the room. "You alright Harry?" he asked, cheerily patting him on the back as he was released from his mother's hug. "Yeah," Harry replied, still smiling. "It's good to be back."

After Harry had hugged or shook hands with all of the Order members that had hung around after the meeting, he made to follow Ron, bringing his trunk upstairs. "Wow," Harry said looking around as they exited the room. "Yeah. Great ain't it?" Ron said, nodding his head at the look of awe on Harry's face. "Dumbledore done it himself. Been working on it all summer, he has."

Mrs Black's painting was gone, and in its place was Phineas Nigellus's canvas. The elf heads were also gone and so were the serpent door handles. The floor was freshly carpeted and all the hallways were painted in a homey off-beige colour.

After dropping off his things Ron proceeded to give Harry a tour of the renovated house. "It's great!" Harry said after leaving Buckbeak's room, which was enchanted to look like a paddock. "Well Harry, drawing room's the last one left. After you," Ron said, giving Harry a mock bow. Harry swung the door open and his mouth fell open.

It seemed like a completely different room. The room was painted in the same off-beige colour of most the house, there were fresh curtains and some very comfy-looking leather armchairs and sofas. There was a large rug that covered most of the room, with various creatures decorating it that moved around from time to time.

"Its...it's..." Harry couldn't bring himself to speak; it was so different from the dark dirty drawing room that had been in use only a few months ago. "Yeah yeah, it brings tears to my eyes," Ron said sarcastically. "Just look up will you." Without arguing Harry looked up at the ceiling. It had been enchanted just like the one in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. "Does it show the sky outside?" Harry asked in awe. "Yeah, most times," Ron answered uninterestedly. "Anyway Harry, let's go downstairs, I think I heard Dumbledore." With that they left the room, talking merrily, and made their way downstairs.

"Ahh Harry. Good to see you," Professor Dumbledore said upon seeing Harry enter the kitchen. "I trust young Mr. Weasley has shown you your new decor, yes?"

"Oh eh...yes they're great um...thank you for that, Professor." "Oh nonsense Harry, it is after all the least I could do" Dumbledore said, smiling. "Do you think we could have a moment of privacy?" he asked, his eyes twinkling at Harry's bemused look. "Eh...yeah of course," Harry replied after a moment. With that he allowed himself to be led out of the kitchen and up to Buckbeak's room/paddock.

"So Harry, how was your birthday?" the Professor asked still smiling widely. "It was um...memorable..." Harry answered, smiling at the memory. Dumbledore seemed to suspect something too because he also was grinning.

"Anyway Harry, down to business" Dumbledore said in a more serious tone, though his eyes were still twinkling. "This Harry," Dumbledore said pulling an official looking document from his robes, "is a copy of Sirius's will". "What?" Harry exclaimed, startling Buckbeak. "I never knew he wrote a will."

"Well Harry, until very recently, neither did we. Here, read it..." Dumbledore said carefully, handing Harry the will.

Harry read through carefully, and re-read it to make sure his eyes hadn't deceived him. "He...he left me his house?" Harry said in a questioning tone. "Yes Harry, and his family's gold has been divided between you, Remus, and the Weasleys. He really did love you dearly, you know," the headmaster said, wiping a tear from his eyes.

Still in shock, Harry looked down at the parchment in his hands again. "I really miss him," Harry said rather matter-of-factly. "I know Harry. We all know," Dumbledore comforted, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Now Harry, how about I show you that present I got you, hmmm?" Dumbledore asked, smiling again. "You mean the one that was 'too big to send'?" Harry badgered. "Now now, Harry," Dumbledore said. "It's not exactly too big...yet." With that, an overly excited Dumbledore led the way up another staircase which Harry had never been up before.

"Um...where are we going?" Harry asked curiously, tugging on the headmasters robes. "What...you mean Ron hasn't showed you the library?" Dumbledore asked surprised. "Figures," he said grinning.

At the top of the stairs was a narrow hallway that led to a single door. "Welcome Harry," Dumbledore said imitating the voice of a tour guide, "to the Black, no, Potter, Library!" With that, he swung the door open to reveal the marvellous library. "Wow," Harry whispered. "It's bigger than the one at Hogwarts."

"And more well-stocked, I might add," Professor Dumbledore said. "Anyway Harry, what I have for you is over here in the care of Miss Granger".

Leading Harry through a labyrinth of bookshelves and racks, they soon found their way to what seemed to be a study area. There were cushioned chairs and desks in one corner, and another bigger desk in the other with a pile of parchment on top. In the middle there was a squishy looking sofa, lying on top was a sleeping Hermione hugging some kind of cushion.

'Damn...she sure looks innocent when she sleeps,' Harry said to himself. Tearing his eyes away from Hermione, he looked up at Professor Dumbledore, who was smiling a knowing smile. "What was it you wanted to show me Professor?" Harry asked slightly unnerved. "Ahh, now that Harry, I'll leave for Miss Granger to tell you. I believe she has been researching it extensively. Oh don't look so put out Harry!" Dumbledore continued, laughing. "I believe she is waking."

Sure enough, Hermione was slowly awaking from her slumber. "Well, I'll leave you to it Harry," Dumbledore said before retracing his steps out of the library. Turning back to the sofa, Harry saw that Hermione was watching him intently.

"Eh...hi Hermione," Harry stammered, looking down at his feet. "I eh...guess you want to eh...talk" he added, trying to regain his composure. "Oh...um...not yet Harry," Hermione said trying to keep an even tone. "I think Professor Dumbledore wants me to give you this," she indicated to the ball of fur she was hugging while she slept.

Harry was just about to question her as to what it was when it shuddered. "Whoa!" Harry jumped back in surprise. "What is that thing?" Hermione giggled. "'That thing,' Harry, is your new pet griffin. Come, sit down," Hermione said, moving aside and patting the spot between her and the griffin. "I'll tell you all about it".

"So...they found him on an Order mission, and both his parents were killed?" Harry asked while stroking his newborn griffin. "Yes that's right," Hermione answered him, "and as far as I remember, this is the first time he's stayed awake for longer than five minutes".

For a while Harry just stroked his griffin, which seemed to be enjoying it immensely. After a few minutes Harry broke the silence. "You've been researching griffins haven't you?" he stated rather than asked. "Well...yes, of course. It's surprising how little is actually known about them," Hermione replied. "All I know for sure is that they are very intelligent creatures, and can communicate with humans and animals of any language or species."

Hermione took a breath ad made to continue, but stopped at a raised hand from Harry. The griffin, which not to long ago was contented curled up into a ball on Harry's chest was now sitting up and looking alert.

"Wow..." Hermione whispered, "he's hasn't looked this alert before. I wonder if he's ready to-...Harry say something to him!" she commanded quietly. "Okay, um...hi. I'm Harry, your err...new friend," Hermione beamed at him. The griffin snapped its slightly feathered head around to look Harry in the eye.

The griffin's eyes were its normal golden colour but with an emerald tinge, while Harry's were his normal emerald green but with a slight golden tinge to them. Hermione, having been watching for this, was absolutely ecstatic. "Harry! Don't break eye contact!" she ordered excitedly.

Harry, having heard Hermione's command, tried his best not to look away. His eyes automatically felt dry, and he badly wanted to blink, but he didn't want to break eye contact. 'What's going on here?' Harry said to himself as he felt another presence in his mind. It felt like when Snape had used the Legilimens spell on him last year, but this time it was different, almost pleasant. It felt like he had found a part of himself that wasn't there before. Almost as quick as it had started, the feeling passed and his eyes returned to their former bright emerald green state.

Chancing to look away from the griffin, Harry looked up at Hermione, who was smiling widely at him. "What was all that about?" Harry asked, confused, while he massaged his temples. "That Harry, was called 'Transfusion,'" Hermione answered, still smiling. "You and your griffin have just bonded; you are part of each other now," she continued confidently. "You should be able to mentally speak with him, share your thoughts, and your Legilmency as well as Occulmency should improve greatly. I wouldn't even be surprised if you pick up a few of his traits," Hermione informed him while checking off her fingers. "It's all in that book over there," she said, pointing to the book.

"Sounds interesting," Harry said truthfully. "We'll have to wait till he wakes up, though." "Oh...yeah," Hermione looked put out at not being able to test her theories straight away. "So um...do you wanna talk about, erm...what I wrote in my letter?" Hermione said, looking at the carpet and playing with a strand of her hair. "Only if you want to that is...I mean if you don't want to...I shouldn't have said it...what was I thinking...I'm so sorry...I feel so silly." "Hermione!... I want you to be my girlfriend, okay!" Harry blurted out, he felt himself blushing as he realised what he just said.

Hermione was no longer rambling, she looked up and met Harry's gaze. "Of course I will Harry," she said firmly. She looked as if she was fighting back tears, but she was doing a good job of it. After a moment Harry edged a little closer to her, and he chanced putting his arm around her, but almost immediately made to pull it away before Hermione held it in place.

Relaxing into the embrace, he let his chin rest on the top of her head and gave a satisfactory sigh. They held each other like that for quite a while, and in the end it was Harry that spoke first. "Are we going to tell anyone?" he asked curiously. Hermione was silent for a few moments before replying. "Well yes...but not just yet. I want you to myself for a little while at least." Harry let out a sigh of relief "Actually Hermione, I'm not to keen on telling Ron yet," he confessed.

"Why not?" Hermione asked, looking up at Harry. "I thought he'd be the first person you would tell." "Well yes, he will be, but I'm not sure if you noticed, but I think he has some feelings for you as well," Harry answered her. "What gives you that idea?" Hermione asked him quizzically. "Well everybody could tell. Look how he was acting at the Yule Ball, and last year," Harry answered her fretfully.

"Oh..."Hermione said beginning to giggle, "don't worry, I know for a fact that Ron has no err...serious feelings for me." "What's so funny?" Harry asked her, raising his eyebrow. "Oh its nothing Harry. I spoke to Ron at the end of forth year; he knows there's nothing between us." "Oh...good," Harry said brightening up. "But what's so funny, seriously?" he asked Hermione again. "Look, lets jus say he err...got an eyeful one day," she answered him. "Remind me to tell you about in some time," she said before snuggling back into Harry's arms.

"Hermione?" Harry asked softly. "Hmmm?" she responded. "Tell me about that time where Ron got an eyeful?" he asked jokingly. She made to hit him playfully, but stopped abruptly when the griffin which had been curled up asleep in Harry's lap suddenly jerked awake with its few teeth bared. Is this female attempting to harm you, human guardian? Harry heard a new but familiar voice ask in his head. He looked at the griffin in shock.

"Did you hear that Hermione?" Harry asked in disbelief. "Hear what? Oh did he just speak to you? Try thinking something to him Harry. It's supposed to be easy," Hermione responded excitedly. "Okay erm..." No. She's my, err...girlfriend; we were just playing Harry said and then thought-spoke to the griffin. He looked up at Hermione for confirmation; she nodded and whispered to him "Carry on." Harry turned to look down at the griffin, who was surveying the room guardedly. My name is Harry. I'm your new friend, err...guardian Harry thought to the griffin. It is an honour, young Harry. Please forgive me, girlfriend of Harry; I was not aware of your loyalties. The griffin thought to Harry out loud so that Hermione could hear.

Hermione was shocked at being addressed by the griffin, but quickly regained her composure. "That's okay, I'm Hermione. Do you um...have a name?" she asked it. I have not yet been given a name. Is it not customary for my guardian to appoint me one? the griffin asked out loud again. "Oh, err...of course," Hermione responded. "That would be Harry." I'll have to think about one, but for now I think we'd better introduce you to everybody else Harry thought.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed sounding shocked. "I heard you...in my head...that's great!" she continued standing up and rushing over to a book. "Hermione," Harry said making sure he spoke this time, "let's leave the books for a while. I'm sure everybody will be wanting to meet, err...the griffin," Harry said, standing up and picking up the griffin, who was not very sturdy on its feet.

Hermione gave one last look at her books before making her way over to Harry. She stood up on tip-toes and gave him a brief kiss on the cheek. "Come," she said. "Remember, let's not tell them yet." "I know Hermione, besides...I'm not ready to share you yet," he responded matter-of-factly. They looked at each other for a moment, and then made their way through the labyrinth of book shelves back towards the door. They paused for a moment, in which Harry planted a quick tantalising kiss on Hermione's forehead, before they began to descend down the stairs.


	5. 5Transformations

Harry Potter and the Powers of Old

Chapter 5: Transformations

"Harry dear, are you feeling well? You're not eating," Mrs Weasly said with a look of concern on her face. Harry quickly lifted his hand from under the table where he was holding Hermione's. "Yeah I'm eh...fine thanks," he said, turning crimson. Lifting the fork to his mouth, he chanced a glance over at Hermione; she was doing a terrible job of trying to conceal a smirk. Harry pretended to be offended and made a point of not looking at her for the rest of the meal.

After everybody had been excused, Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way up to the library where Hermione was supposedly going to be helping Ron complete his summer homework.

They chose a small section in the far corner of the library to sit. Ron sat sprawled across the floor with Hermione sitting cross legged opposite him, while Harry choose a soft armchair close by, sitting with Grif (Harry's name for the griffin) curled up on his chest.

"No no no Ron! You're doing this all wrong. Look...." Harry ignored the two bickering on the floor in front of him and turned his attention to Grif, stroking his fur gently. Harry was amused at the purr-like sound that Grif was making, so he continued stroking until he heard a familiar voice in his head.

'What is bothering you friend? I sense there is a lot on your mind,'the voice belonging to Grif spoke so only Harry could hear. 'Not really,' Harry thought back. 'It's just, so much has changed in my life, and I don't know what to feel. I' happy now that I'm with Hermione but I'm still upset about Sirius,' Harry said, letting out a sigh.

A few moments passed before Grif spoke again. 'It seems we have the same dilemma Harry. I have lost both of my parents and for that I feel great sorrow, however, I am lucky that I am not alone. I have you and your friends, and I know that you will help me to deal with my loss,' the griffin said thoughtfully. 'I am sure that over time Hermione will help you to deal with your feelings towards Sirius, as will I. So, for now, I would advise you not to dwell on the past, but to look toward the future,' he finished.

'That,' Harry said, 'is some of the best advice I have ever heard.' For the next half hour, Grif told Harry about his species, and about what Harry could expect to benefit from their newly formed connection.

'So you mean if you're near me, you can block intruders from my mind?' Harry asked excitedly, thinking about his occulmency lessons last year. 'Yes Harry. It makes sense; I am a part of your mind now as you are of mine. If you concentrated hard enough you would be able to feel my presence there.'

It was 9 o'clock before Ron threw down his quill in frustration. "There is NO way I'm going to do anymore work tonight Hermione!" Ron said, massaging his hand.

"My brain is tired and I have writers cramp, plus I'm not even going to take half of these subjects for N.E.W.T.'s, so there's no point!"

Packing up, Ron stepped over Hermione, then went over and threw himself down on a squashy armchair on Harry's right. "What do you lot want to do?" Hermione asked seeing the two bored faces. "I was going to study about Animagi to gain a head start for Transfiguration..."

"Are you serious...?" Ron asked in disbelief. "Do you know how advanced that is?"

"Of course Ron! That's half the reason I came over here this summer!" Hermione answered looking up at Harry. "There are hundreds of books here that I could probably never find at Hogwarts," she finished.

"Do you mean that we could all become Animagis?" Harry asked Hermione, joining in the conversation for the first time. "No Harry, we could all become Animagi," she corrected him. "But only if we have the capability, and not all wizards and witches have it."

"Oh...okay. What exactly do we have to do?" Harry asked, getting interested in the idea. "How long will it take to finish?" Ron asked before giving Hermione a chance to answer Harry's question. "Well..." Hermione said, looking through a shelf for a specific book. "I've read up about it and the first step usually is choosing an animal that you would like to be able to turn into."

Pulling out a book and smiling, she made her way over and sat on the chair to Harry's left pulling it a bit closer to Harry. "I have already chosen a cat as my animal, and if you two are going to try then I suggest you think very carefully about..."

"I'm going to be a Griffin," Harry exclaimed, cutting off Hermione. 'I'm flattered!' Grif said jokingly in Harry's head. Harry smiled and continued stroking Grif in response.

"Cool!" Ron said. "I want something with teeth...maybe a lion... No! A tiger! That's it!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione looked shocked. "You two are sure about this? There's no turning back you know." They both nodded. "Okay then," Hermione said turning to Harry. "You know that becoming a magical creature is extremely rare...there has been no record of any witch or wizard who have successfully completed the transformation in over 300 years!"

"That long huh..." Harry said with a smirk. "Well looks like I'll be the first in a while then! Let's start!" Hermione frowned before opening the book and scanning the index. "Okay..." she said turning to a page and skimming through it quickly.

"It says that once we've chosen our animal, we must picture our animal in our minds, and we must know every detail of our animal... Concentration is the key here. If this doesn't work then there's a potion that we can make, but it takes months to brew...I expect that's what your father did, Harry."

"How long will it take this way?" Harry asked impatiently. "The shortest time recorded was two days, but that was a long time ago," Hermione answered. "Alright," Ron said speaking up, "let's get a move on then. What did you say? Just imagine out animal?" "Yes Ron, if you can try to imagine yourself changing into your animal...imagine how it would feel."

10 minutes passed without anybody saying anything. Harry had his eyes shut and was concentrating hard on the image of a Griffin. Grif was helping Harry define the Griffin's details until they were near perfect.

'Very good!' Grif praised Harry. 'It's very lifelike! Now, imagine yourself turning into this Griffin, Harry.'

Another 15 minutes passed before a shriek from Hermione broke the others' concentration. "I think I did it!" she exclaimed. "But you two...you were changing. Harry was almost fully transformed, and Ron...your skin; it had black and white stripes!"

"Great!" Harry said happily. "And it only took us a little while." He thought for a short moment before turning to Ron. "White tiger, mate?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ron answered enthusiastically. "Wanted to stand out." Hermione smiled before standing up and signaling for the others to do the same.

"Quick!" she said. "Let's not leave it too long. We have to transform fully then back into ourselves, and then cast one spell to bind the animal to us. Just imagine yourself turning into your animal," she added, noticing the blank looks she was receiving. "We'll do the spell together afterwards."

They held their heads down and concentrated hard. After a few minutes, Harry opened his eyes. The library looked different; it looked bigger and brighter. Harry felt much stronger than usual and his eyesight was very near perfect. His hearing had improved beyond that of any human. He could hear Mrs. Weasly talking on the ground floor. He could hear the steady breathing of all of his friends. More intense than the hearing however, was a new sense that Harry hadn't experienced before. He was picking up different feelings; he could sense anticipation coming from Ron and eagerness from Hermione. It was Grif's voice in his head that snapped him out of his thinking. 'Harry...you've done it, as have your friends.' He waited for the words to sink in. 'I don't think any of you fully realize yet, you may want to alert them.'

It was at this time that Harry fully realized what had happened; he had fully transformed into a griffin. Looking down near his feet. There was Grif, a miniature version of himself. 'It's times like these when I realize how young you are' Harry thought-spoke as Grif was trying his best to stay on his feet. Turning around, Harry was surprised to see, standing up with their eyes closed, were a white tiger and a large ginger cat.

Harry growled to get their attention and laughed to himself at their reaction. They both jumped upon seeing Harry fully transformed, then they jumped again realizing that they were too.

Ron was particularly fond of the tuft of red hair on the end of his tail and spent a few minutes trying to catch it. Hermione took this as an excuse to rub herself against Harry, which He was enjoying immensely. They spent another ten minutes like this before Hermione changed back.

Coughing hard after she transformed, she spoke two Harry and Ron. "Time to change back," she said. "The final spell must be performed now." Harry could have sworn he heard Ron's feline form groan before he too changed back.

"Okay," Hermione said taking out her wand and pointing it at herself, indicating that Harry and Ron do the same. "Think hard about what it was like being your animal, and say the spell like this: Animans Adnexus!" Hermione said loudly.

A white light erupted from her wand, engulfing her for what seemed like forever. Once it faded, Harry gave her a concerned look but she waved him off with her hand. "What are you waiting for? Hurry!"

Ron looked at Harry and shrugged. They both performed the spell with the same results as Hermione. "Wow!" Ron said, impressed at his own spell casting. "Now that is what I call tiring! Harry, I'm going to bed. 'Night."

With that, Ron left the library, shuffling his feet along the way. Harry looked to the floor where Grif was already curled up, fast asleep. Hermione seemed to be following the same train of thought as Harry because, in a matter of seconds, she was at his side resting her head on his arm.

"You know Harry...that really was tiring," she said in a quiet voice. "I know Hermione, do you want to get some sleep?" Harry asked. She looked up into his eyes for a moment before she spoke. "I do want to seep yes but...I don't want to leave you yet."

"Well..." Harry started but was cut off by a yawning Hermione. "I'm sorry Harry," she said, giving him a lingering kiss. "But I don't think I can stay awake any longer."

Harry nodded in agreement, picking up Grif as he did so. The young couple made their way out of the library and up to their rooms. "Well...I'll see you in the morning, I guess," Harry said, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah Harry, you will," Hermione said. Harry leaned in to give her a kiss. He tilted his head a little to the left as his lips met hers. Harry was surprised when he felt Hermione's mouth open slightly, allowing her tongue to venture into Harry's.

The kiss lasted a few minutes before Hermione broke it. "Goodnight Harry," she said with a shy smile on her face. Harry watched as she walked into the room that she and Ginny shared, and he had a strong desire to follow her, but decided against it. Turning, he made his way along to the room he shared with Ron, who was already asleep. As Harry fell on to his bed, he quickly fell asleep as well.


End file.
